Hippeastrum papilio


Hippeastrum papilio is a flowering perennial herbaceous bulbous plant, in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to southern Brazil.

Description

Colours are variable from white to creamy-green, or dark apple-green with carmine, maroon or purple striations.

Taxonomy

Collected in the 1960s, it was originally described by Pierfelice Ravenna in 1970 as a species of Amaryllis, it was transferred to Hippeastrum by Johan Van Scheepen in 1997.

Etymology

The specific epithet papilio means butterfly in Latin.

Distribution

Tropical rain forests of the Atlantic coast of southern Brazil. While its natural habitat is shrinking, it is becoming increasingly popular in horticulture.

Ecology

This plant is epiphytic.

Conservation

H. papilio is considered endangered.